Category Archives: Census 2010

The report notes that year over year, housing prices increased by 11% AND mortgage rates went up, pushing homes further out of reach for those in need of affordable housing. Complicating matters more, personal income over the same time period only grew by 0.4%.

Looking at another set of numbers, Consumer Prices increased about 2.4% year over year, with the cost of shelter increasing 3.5%. Clearly, exceeding the growth in personal income.

While this is promising information, it continues to illustrate a need for everyone to step up and do more. Couch surfing is a big, missing, portion of the equation. Without a count of these, we are not getting a complete count. We should also remember that “sheltered” homeless are, still, homeless. longer term living facilities continue to be needed, from group homes for those meeting the criteria for these facilities, single room occupancy efficiency units.

Dennis has stepped up to the plate, creating single room occupancy units with the conversions to year-round housing of the former Dennis West, Cape Haven and Plantation motels and two cottage communities on Route 28. We now have a similar conversion planned for the former Dennis Port Motel under review.

Of course, our big effort is the creation of the Home for Veterans on Route 134. We look forward to the day we can begin construction on this project.

The following information has been extracted from the American Community Survey and paints a rather bleak picture for housing affordability in Dennis. This information was made available to the town leaders participating in the March 3rd Housing Forum hosted by the Dennis Board of Selectmen.

Finally, some information on home owners.

82.6% of owners live in structures with just one unit either single family home on a separate lot (79.8%) or a detached dwelling on a lot with another home (2.8%)

3.2% are in duplex units and 14% are in multi-family settings.

As most would suspect, we are a heavily single family community when it comes to home ownership. While we have a few multi-family ownership properties, they make up a small portion of the overall housing picture.

8.7% of owners are in one or no bedroom units

91.3% are in units with two or more bedrooms

36.2% of owners are in single person households

13.7% of owners are in 4 or more person households

These numbers are both frightening and interesting. While the American Community Survey does not directly provide this information, the large percentage of single person households owning homes is most likely due to the age of our population. It more accurately reflects a larger number of widows and widowers remaining in their homes than single younger residents buying into the housing market. It does suggest that there is a continuing, and growing, need for more housing opportunities for our senior residents looking to downsize.

32.7% of owners pay more than 30% of their income for housing costs

Of owners earning less than $35,000 annually 77% pay more than 30% of their income on housing costs

5,205 households reporting in 2013, 1,702 are paying over 30% of the monthly income for housing.

Ownership units with no mortgage with housing costs exceeding 30% of income 493 (21.6%)

Some scary numbers, nearly one-third of our home owner population is paying more than 30% of their monthly income on housing costs. Essentially, this means that one-third of our population is cutting corners in other aspects of their lives simply to pay the mortgage, insurance and taxes. There are 1,176 home owners earning less than $35,000 annually, 77% or 906 of these are paying over 30% of their monthly income for housing costs. Really scary is the 493 home owners paying over 30% of their monthly income to home ownership costs – while not having a mortgage. Most likely, this latter category reflects elderly home owners who are living on fixed incomes that fall below the poverty rate.

For home ownership, and affordable home ownership, Median Household Income and 70% of Median Household income are critical figures. Median household income is the point at which half the people earn either above or below that point. Generally, people earning 70% of median household income are potentially eligible for affordable home ownership programs.

Housing Buying Power at Median Household Income $168,906

401 Owner occupied housing valued under $150,000

Buying power at 70% of median income $118,233

216 (est) Owner occupied housing valued under $118,000

Half the households in Dennis, under traditional measures, have the financial wherewithal to pay up to just under $169,000 for a home and not anticipate spending more than 30% of their monthly income on housing costs. For those at 70% of median income, they need to find homes selling for $118,000 to get their foot in the door and not expect to pay more than 30% of their income on home ownership costs. Based upon the American Community Survey, there were about 216 ownership units in Dennis valued at or under $118,000. A far cry below the 1,265 households who might be able to purchase such housing.

Ownership Affordable Housing Deficit – Two Measurements

Paying over 30% of income on ownership costs – Deficit of 1,702 affordable units

Buying Power – deficit of 1,049 affordable ownership housing units

Finally, what is our affordable housing ownership deficit? If we look at providing housing for all residents presently paying more than 30% of their monthly income towards housing, we need to find ownership housing for as many as 1,702 households. If we look simply at the buying power of people earning up to 70% of median income, we have an affordable ownership deficit of 1,049 housing units.

When combined with the rental affordable housing deficit, Dennis needs to seek to provide as many as 2,000 housing units, whether rental or ownership, affordable to people earning 80% or less of median income.

The State Housing Inventory suggests we need a total of 765 affordable housing units. Real need is far higher than this figure.

The following information has been extracted from the American Community Survey and paints a rather bleak picture for housing affordability in Dennis. This information was made available to the town leaders participating in the March 3rd Housing Forum hosted by the Dennis Board of Selectmen.

Poverty data reveals more telling needs than we might see from the rental data previously discussed. While I noted that we have a deficit of 217 one-bedroom rental units, we, more tellingly, have a deficit of 747 family rental housing units. Delving deeper into the numbers, almost 490 housing units are needed for families living in poverty, we do not have a corresponding figure for households (household counts include families, single people, and other living arrangements of unrelated individuals). These are housing for people generally earning less than 30% of median income. The Housing Authority, Lewis Gordon Senior Apartments and Dennis Commons provide housing for a portion of this target population, however, if these facilities were occupied completely by families in poverty, the would meet only half the need for this type of housing. Looking ahead at the figures that will come out of the next post, nearly one-quarter of our affordable housing needs are for families living in poverty.